Thomson

It’s a heck of a way to run a pre-election campaign. On the eve of an expected election, politicians usually spend their time playing up good news, downplaying the bad, shaking hands and kissing babies.

Devon looks to growth as most of council swept from office

When the Town of Devon swears in its newly elected officials Monday all but one will be new to the job after the former council was practically swept out of office as voters demanded a more aggressive growth strategy, the mayor-elect said.

“The big campaign issue was growth and people in Devon realizing that every other community around them was growing and attracting new businesses and services. They felt the previous council was not interested in growth and they really felt that was a direction they wanted to go,” mayor-elect Stephen Lindop said.

He defeated two-term mayor Anita Fisher, while five of the six sitting councillors lost their seats. The new council will feature several people in their 30s. Lindop, 59 and a former high school principal, taught three of them in his teaching days.

Census numbers show Devon, a town of about 6,500 people 26 kilometres southwest of Edmonton, grew four per cent between 2006 and 2011. Meanwhile, bigger nearby centres such as Leduc and Beaumont showed some of the fastest growth in Alberta during the same period, with 48- and 43-per-cent growth respectively.

Lindop has also adopted a strong stance on Edmonton’s plans to annex part of nearby Leduc County. He said he would work with the mayors of Leduc County and the City of Leduc to form a “troika of champions for the region.”

“(People) move to Devon, they love Devon, they do not want to be part of Edmonton. They see issues in Edmonton that they don’t see in Devon and they want to keep it that way.”

Devon is located along the North Saskatchewan River and has “unique challenge” for growth, Fisher. said These include major highways, a sour gas line, and the river that make expansion difficult.

People were unaware of some initiatives taking place to ensure more growth, particularly partnerships with the City of Leduc, she said.

“We were making good headway as far as commercial and industrial expansion, unfortunately it was not at the point where it could be shared with the public, although it was well in the works,” she said. “We were on the verge of realizing the benefits of hard and long work.”

Among the councillors now stepping up to the plate is 32-year-old Blake Adams. He echoed concerns about the town’s stagnant population and said “natural barriers” in the town’s geography are “not impossible obstacles.”

He was excited to see 16 people running for the seven city governance spots, and by the young demographic on the new council.

“I think it’s going to bring a different viewpoint ... what challenges we’ve faced growing up will be different and possibly more representative of the bulk of the town now. We’re in a different age in regards to technology, our focus on health and wellness, and green attitudes. It brings maybe a slightly different mindset as to what’s important as we move forward.”